The new get rich scheme: Government Jobs

In a recent article in the business insider, the question is pondered, “If Government salaries continue to increase, will there be a tax revolt?”

Some astonishing facts from the article:

According to a December report from the BLS, state and local government employers spent an average of $39.83 per hour worked ($26.24 for wages and $13.60 for benefits) for total employee compensation in September 2009. Total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $27.49 per hour ($19.45 for wages and $8.05 for benefits). In other words, government employees make 45% more on average than private sector employees.

And one must consider President Obama’s “Saved or created” stimulus at fault, at least partially, for this result. Why? Because the bulk of the money (which is borrowed from our children) has been spent on keeping State and Federal employees–something that has netted few jobs in the private sector.

Public (govt) jobs do little to increase the numbers of private employees, because in the end, we will continue to pay for these employees. Truly, the first place to cut in a recession IS the Government. Government consumes, but produces little.

Where do the jobs come from? Perhaps our current President should dump the lessons he learned as a youth in Hawaii and learn from one of his predecessors:

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.

Ronald Reagan

As the Government increases, the American standard of living will continue to decrease, all the pay for an ever-expanding overpaid collection of bureaucrats. Will this cause a tax revolt?

Who could say that some of these salaries are even justifiable? Look at who is the highest paid employee in uber-Liberal Madison, Wisc. No, it isn’t the mayor:

Madison’s highest paid city government employee last year wasn’t the mayor. It wasn’t the police chief. It wasn’t even the head of Metro Transit.

It was bus driver John E. Nelson.

Nelson earned $159,258 in 2009, including $109,892 in overtime and other pay.

He and his colleague, driver Greg Tatman, who earned $125,598, were among the city’s top 20 earners for 2009, city records show.

They’re among the seven bus drivers who made more than $100,000 last year thanks to a union contract that lets the most senior drivers who have the highest base salaries get first crack at overtime.

You have to admit, things have come a long way since the times of Ralph Kramden.